PLATE 381. 



OOHNA ATBOPUBPUREA, D.C. (Fl. Cap. Vol I., p. 448.) 

 Natural Order, OOHNACE^:. 



A shrub reaching to 10 to 12 feet in height, irregularly much branched. 

 Twigs with brown bark often thickly studded with small rough whitish pro- 

 minences. Leaves alternate, petiolate, simple, exstipulate, oblong, narrow-oblong 

 to ovate, obtuse at base and apex, margins closely serrulate ; glabrous, glossy and 

 dark green, mid-vein prominent, lateral ones numerous and fine ; 1 to 2^ inches 

 long, ^ to 1 inch wide; petiole ^ to 2 lines. Flowers on short depauperated 

 branchlets, solitary or 2-3 together. Calyx of 5 or 6 sepals, which are ovate, 

 obtuse and veiny, at first pale green, spreading, in fruit accrescent and dull scarlet; 

 the whole calyx in flower up to 9 lines diameter, in fruit reaching to lj inch or 

 more. Petals usually 5, but sometimes 6, 7, or more, inserted at the base of a 

 fleshly torus ; oblong or subrotund, clawed ; 6 to 8 lines long, 3 to 5 lines broad, 

 yellow, soon deciduous. Stamens numerous, hypogynous, erect, nearly half as 

 long as the petals ; anthers linear, equalling the filaments in length, 2-celled, the 

 cells opening by terminal pores. Torus hemispherical, light green, at maturity 

 dull scarlet. Carpels 2 to 7 or fewer, 1 -seeded ; style longer than stamens, 

 stigmas as many as carpels, minute. Drupes 1 -seeded, purple when ripe. 



Habitat: NATAL: Krauss; Gueinzius; Blinkwatvr, 3 to 4,000 feet alt; Wood, 

 April ; near Durban, August, Wood ; Qudeni Forest, 6,000 feet alt, G. W. Davis ; 

 108 (Government Herbarium, 8794). 



The genus Ochna includes about 25 species, natives of tropical Asia, and 

 tropical and South Africa. In tropical Africa 9 species are found, one of which, 

 0. pulchra is also found in Transvaal. In South Africa we have two species only, 

 the one here described and 0. arborea, Burch., which is a tree reaching to 40 feet 

 in height, and yielding a timber which is hard, heavy and close grained, and is 

 used for many purposes, but 0. atropurpurea does not reach a sufficient size, and 

 is usually too crooked in growth to be of any value. 



Fig. 1, Calyx; 2, petal; 3, stamen; 4, pistil; 5, calyx, receptacle and 5 

 drupes ; 6, cross section of drupe ; Jig. 5 natural size, remainder enlarged. 



